Keith Olbermann left with nothing to blather about

Kathy Shaidle is a blogging pioneer whose FiveFeetOfFury.com is now in its 12th year. Her most recent book â€“ "The Tyranny of Nice: How Canada Crushes Freedom in the Name of Human Rights, and Why It Matters to Americans" â€“ features an introduction by Rush Limbaugh guest host Mark Steyn.

Al Gore’s Current TV network tried to squeeze the last mileage out of that imaginary “conservative talk radio/think tank payola” non-scandal we told you about last week.

In the real world, no one cares that the Heritage Foundation advertises on the Rush Limbaugh show – where else would they buy commercials? – but Al Gore’s newest “star,” Keith Olbermann, tried desperately to gin up some buzz when he talked to the reporter behind the “expose,” Ken Vogel of Politico.com.

The result was an embarrassingly boring and anti-climatic few minutes of television that were literally painful to watch.

Rush Limbaugh’s parodies are one of the things that set him apart from all other talk show hosts. This week, he presented a parody of Obama’s speech announcing the troop drawdown from Afghanistan, which Rush called the “honest, condensed version” (FREE audio).

Speaking of speeches: Some pundits were comparing Jon Huntsman’s campaign kickoff speech to that of Ronald Reagan, but Limbaugh wasn’t impressed. Rush warned that Huntsman was more like John McCain than “Ronaldus Magnus” (FREE audio).

Savage bemoaned the fact that today’s “role models” are “degenerates,” compared to those of yesteryear. He remembered the Italians he grew up with and how they revered great opera singers instead of the disgraceful cast of “The Jersey Shore” (FREE audio).

He also talked about Anthony Weiner’s wife’s connection to the Muslim Brotherhood and asked why the rest of the media was ignoring this explosive story. But first, due to popular demand, Savage shared with listeners some highlights from his recent trip to Hollywood, where he visited his friend, actor Robert Davi (FREE audio).

Sean Hannity

Comedy Central’s Jon Stewart got a pass from his media buddies for his a racist imitation of African-American presidential candidate Herman Cain and his hint that Cain is illiterate. However, Sean Hannity didn’t let Stewart off the hook. When Cain joined him on his radio show this week, Hannity told him about Stewart’s mimicry.

Cain responded: “First of all, if [Stewart] really thinks that I’m serious about a bill only being three pages, the joke’s on him. And I said secondly, as far as him mocking me, look I’ve been called every name in the book because I’m a conservative, because I’m black. Sticks and stone may break my bones, words are not going to hurt me.”

Former U.N. Ambassador John Bolton was Hannity’s guest just before Obama’s speech to the nation, announcing the pull-out of American forces from Afghanistan.

“The only reason we’re even talking about withdrawing troops from Afghanistan,” said Bolton, “is because 18 months ago at the president’s West Point speech he announced a surge and also this plan to pull out. That is exactly the wrong way to be commander in chief” (FREE audio).

Mark Levin

Mark Levin is a constitutional scholar, so he felt obliged to “school” journalist Fareed Zacharia when the latter opined that the Electoral College should be abolished. Levin’s monologue provided listeners with a master class on America’s founding documents (FREE audio).

On the same subject, Levin was forced to wonder: If presidential candidate Jon Huntsman “loves America so much, why does he want to fundamentally transform it?” (FREE audio).

Belligerent Ron Paul supporters are the bane of the conservative talk radio host’s existence, and Mark Levin is not exempt from their annoying phone calls. He argued with one about whether or not members of the armed services are “overwhelmingly” supportive of Paul (FREE audio).

Laura Ingraham

Why is the media pushing Jon Huntsman as the GOP pick for presidential candidate? Juan Williams shared his theory with Laura Ingraham. He, on the other hand, thinks Jeb Bush, of all people, might be the Republicans’ greatest hope in 2012.

Newt Gingrich deflected questions about his own campaign when talking to Ingraham, by discussing what he feels are fellow candidate Mitt Romney’s weaknesses.

CBC News reporter Sharyl Attkisson came on with an update on the “Project Gunrunner/Fast and Furious” scandal. Bill Kristol of the Weekly Standard explained why Republicans seem to be growing more isolationist, and talked about who he’d like to see on the GOP ticket in 2012 (FREE audio).

Glenn Beck

Glenn Beck’s feud with ex-Obama “green” czar Van Jones shows no sign of waning. After Jones challenged Beck to a public debate, Beck responded that it was clear that “the left” was becoming more desperate (FREE webcam).

“Is Chris Matthews insane?” Beck and his crew were wondering about that, after Matthews’ latest attack on Beck and Rush Limbaugh. Beck points out that Matthews is now slurring his speech and barely manages to string a sentence together (FREE webcam).

And now, from the left side of the dial …

Did you know that now-defunct “progressive” radio network Air America was “beating Rush and Beck” in the ratings before it went off the air?

Kennedy clearly didn’t understand the conservative talk radio business model, displaying inexcusable ignorance of its advertising base and inventing an imaginary “boycott” to explain the network’s failure.

However, Air America’s low ratings were acknowledged even by its own stakeholders.

At AmericanThinker.com, Thomas Lifson wonders if RFK Jr. simply “lives in an alternative universe.” Those familiar with the Kennedy family’s particular moral weaknesses may suspect the late senator’s son of being under another type of “influence.”